Today in TV History: Homer Simpson Considered Having an Affair With Michelle Pfeiffer

Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: The marriage of Homer and Marge Simpson has been in trouble so many times, it’s hard to keep track of them all. There was that time Homer started teaching at the Springfield learning annex and spilled all their marriage secrets. The one with Lurleen the country singer. There was the time Milhouse’s parents got divorced which made Homer self-conscious about his marriage falling apart so he secured a divorce? The one where they went to couples counseling and Homer caught the catfish. There was The Simpsons Movie where Marge had very good reasons to leave Homer (and probably should have). Point is: this is a well, and the Simpsons writers have returned to it many times.

But one of the earliest and best examples of this was back in season 5, because most of the best examples of The Simpsons were back in season 5. The Springfield nuclear plant hires a new safety expert, and she’s named Mindy, and she’s beautiful, and she’s voiced by Michelle Pfeiffer, and no jury in the land could convict Homer for at least entertaining thoughts of straying. The show makes good comedic use of his family at home being (temporarily) unappealing, particularly since this is the episode where Bart needs corrective eyeglasses, orthopedic shoes, and scalp salve, turning into a repulsive geek.

This being a relatively early-seasons episode, there’s a lot of heart to Homer’s comedic plight. Homer’s a good man but a weak man and a silly man. And there was something quietly counter-narrative to how generally decent Mindy is. Back in the day, The Simpsons could walk a real tightrope of tones, blending the comedic and heartfelt in a way that did justice to both. “The Last Temptation of Homer” told a grounded story that managed to make room for the ghost of Colonel Klink from Hogan’s Heroes. That’s really something.